Cooling pillow

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a pillow having a filler contained therein for providing heat dissipation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/454,688, filed Mar. 21, 2011, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/562,104, filed Nov. 21, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to a pillow having a filler contained therein to provide heat dissipation.

BACKGROUND

Generally, pillows comprise an outer enclosure containing a filler, such as down or foam. However, the fillers in pillows do not conduct heat away from the body, resulting in discomfort for a user. In fact, many of the fillers currently used in pillows are thermal insulators.

There have been many attempts to provide pillows having a cooling effect on the body of the user. However, these pillows often require refrigeration (e.g., for a pillow insert) or electrical power. This restricts the locations that the pillow can be used and adds additional bulky components to the pillow. Therefore, a need clearly exists for a pillow having that has the ability to provide heat dissipation without restricting use of the pillow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide, in a single enclosure, a cooling pillow having a filler mixing (1) a viscous liquid with heat dissipation properties and (2) a support material made up of small, individual units, such as foam beads (“beads”). The viscous liquid, such as a polymer gel, creates a lasting cooling sensation upon human contact when used in an environment in which the air temperature is cooler than the typical temperature of human skin. The beads, when mixed with the viscous liquid, keep the pillow stable during use without inhibiting the heat dissipation properties of the viscous liquid.

It is a further object to provide a cooling pillow comprising a cooling portion and a pillow portion attached to each other along a common edge. The cooling portion comprises a filler having a viscous liquid with heat dissipation properties, or a mixture of a viscous liquid and a support material. The pillow portion comprises a filler that is a common pillow filler, such as polyester fiber fill.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a embodiment of the cooling pillow according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the cooling pillow according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the cooling pillow of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of the invention presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but to be an example of the invention presented solely for illustration thereof, and by reference to which in connection with the following description and the accompanying drawings one skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts.

Referring to FIG. 1, depicted is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of cooling pillow 100 comprising outer enclosure 102 and filler 104. Outer enclosure 102 is preferably formed from a nylon-woven fabric which is sealed after cooling pillow 100 has been filled with filler 104. In some embodiments, the inner surface of outer enclosure 102 comprises a polyethylene (PE) coating to help retain filler 104 within cooling pillow 100. In other embodiments, the outer surface of outer enclosure 102 is covered with a soft fabric, such as cotton, to provide a comfortable surface during use of cooling pillow 100.

Filler 104 is formed by mixing (1) a viscous liquid with heat dissipation properties with (2) a support material made up of small, individual units, such as foam beads (“beads”), The viscous liquid, such as a polymer gel, creates a lasting cooling sensation upon human contact when used in an environment in which the air temperature is cooler than the typical temperature of human skin. The beads keep the cooling pillow 100 stable during use without inhibiting the heat dissipation properties of the viscous liquid. For example, if foam beads are used, their limited compressibility helps to keep the “shape” of the pillow during use while aiding in even heat dissipation throughout the viscous liquid.

In a preferred embodiment, the beads are circular polystyrene foam beads having a diameter of approximately one millimeter and the viscous liquid is a mixture of sodium polyacralate and water (e.g., 99% water mixed with 1% sodium polyacralate). The beads may be any set of objects that are, individually, sufficiently small such that the viscous fluid can flow around them while being flexible enough for use in a pillow. Similarly, the viscous liquid can be any liquid or gel, such as propylene glycol, having ample heat dissipation properties.

Each bead must be sufficiently small so that the heat dissipation properties of the viscous liquid are not adversely affected (i.e., the beads cannot break up the viscous liquid into different sections that are not in contact with each other). However, there should be enough beads such that the cooling pillow 100 retains its shape and stability during use.

Filler 104 creates a cooling effect by absorbing heat, through outer enclosure 104, from an object warmer than filler 104 (such as a human head). The cooling effect is created by dissipating the heat from the object throughout the entirety of filler 104, such that the filler 104, at the point of contact with the object, remains at a lower temperature than the object itself. For example, if cooling pillow 100 is kept in a room that is 75° Fahrenheit and then comes into contact with a human head that is 95° degrees Fahrenheit, the filler 104 will draw heat from the head and then dissipate the heat throughout filler 104. Eventually, a point of equilibrium is reached where enough heat has been absorbed in filler 104 that it no longer draws heat from the object. The greater amount of filler 104 in pillow 100, the longer it takes to reach this point of equilibrium.

As an example, a cooling pillow 100 approximately 25 inches long by 20 inches wide, comprising a filler 104 having approximately 10 million one-millimeter circular polystyrene beads and approximately 10-20 pounds of viscous fluid allows cooling pillow 100 to remain cooler than the human body for over an hour under standard room temperature conditions. It should be obvious to one skilled in the art that the amount of filler 104 in cooling pillow 100 can be adjusted based upon the desired cooling level. Additionally, filler 104 can be used in other pillow-like objects, including, but not limited to, mattress pads, dog-beds, body pillows, head rests, car seats, etc.

Upon removal of the object in contact with cooling pillow 100, the heat that has been absorbed by filler 104 is released into the air through outer enclosure 102 (assuming the air is cooler than the gel).

In some embodiments, cooling pillow 100 may contain a pocket (not shown) for insertion of an ice pack to absorb heat dissipated throughout filler 104. The ice pack can be either a standard ice pack, containing water or a gel-like substance, or an instant ice pack, including a filler such as solid ammonium nitrate or ammonium chloride dissolved in water. When not in use, the ice pack can be stored in a freezer.

Referring now to FIG. 2, shown is a cross-sectional view of cooling pillow 200. As shown, cooling pillow 200 comprises cooling portion 202 and pillow portion 204. The construction of cooling portion 202 is substantially similar to that of cooling 10 pillow 100 depicted in FIG. 1. However, cooling pillow 200 additionally comprises pillow portion 204 containing a filler 206. In a preferred embodiment, filler 206 is a polyester fiber fill. However, it should be obvious to one skilled in the art that filler 206 may be any standard filler for pillows including, but not limited to, down or memory foam.

As shown in FIG. 3, cooling pillow 200 is formed by securing cooling portion 202 to pillow portion 204 along common edge 208. Because cooling portion 202 receives additional structural support from pillow portion 204, the filler of cooling portion 202 does not require a support material mixed with the viscous fluid (i.e., a viscous fluid, such as propylene glycol, can be used alone as a filler).

It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooling apparatus comprising: an outer enclosure; and a filler located in the outer enclosure, the filler comprising a mixture of: a viscous liquid with heat dissipation properties for dissipating heat away from a contacting object to the filler; and a plurality of beads permitting the viscous liquid to evenly distribute the heat throughout the filler.
 2. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer enclosure is formed from a nylon-woven fabric.
 3. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the outer enclosure comprises a polyethylene (PE) coating.
 4. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the outer enclosure comprises a cotton fabric.
 5. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beads are circular polystyrene foam beads.
 6. The cooling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the beads have a diameter of approximately one millimeter.
 7. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the viscous liquid is a mixture of sodium polyacralate and water.
 8. The cooling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the mixture comprises approximately 99% water and 1% sodium polyacralate.
 9. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the viscous liquid is propylene glycol.
 10. A cooling apparatus comprising: a pillow enclosure comprising a first filler; and a cooling enclosure comprising a viscous liquid with heat dissipation properties; wherein the pillow enclosure is attached to the cooling enclosure along a common edge to form the cooling pillow, and wherein, when an object contacts the cooling enclosure, the viscous liquid dissipates heat away from the object to the second filler.
 11. The cooling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first filler is a polyester fiber fill.
 12. The cooling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second filler further comprises a plurality of beads mixed with the viscous liquid. 